Hoses, like for example fire hoses, are usually controlled or inspected after usage to, among other things, control the tightness of the hose. This is normally done by connecting one end of the hose to a so-called air valve and the other end to a liquid pump (usually a water pump) that can fill the hose with pressurized fluid (e.g. water). The air inside the hose can then abscond through the air valve which lets air and gas through but not water.
The liquid-filled hose can then be inspected, usually wound up in screw line form on a drum with a preferably vertical oriented axle that allows winding-up of the hose within a relatively small space. There also exists other ways of winding-up a hose.
Another type of testing system is known from WO 2008/110150 A1.
The hose can burst during pressurization, at which the operator risks being injured during visual inspection. The liquid pressure can be very high, at which the operator can receive injury by leaking jets. It is well-known to encapsulate the pressurized winding-up of the hose with a screen or similar protection device which protects the operator at inspection/control of the hose.
The European patent EP 0 677 728 shows, for example, a solution where a transparent protective screen fully encapsulates the drum on which the hose is wound-up to ease visual inspection while providing a certain protection. The screen is further provided with openable hatches which makes it possible for the operator to get to the pressurized hose through the screen, for example to mark possible holes in the hose so that a later repairing can take place. In this known case, the drum is held still under pressurization due to the other end of the hose being connected to a stationary water supply connection. Thus the operator must move around the drum during visual inspection.
In other known cases, like for example in the Swedish patent SE 528 582, the pressurized and on the drum wound-up hose is connected to the water pump via a pipe swivel connection that allows a free rotation of the drum while the hose is maintained pressurized. In that manner, the operator can remain in a fixed operator position at the visual inspection, and the protective barrier between the operator and the drum can have a lesser extent in the drums circumference direction. According to the Swedish patent SE 528 582, the protective barrier can with benefit be designed like a transportable screen that can be removed if needed or set in an optional position relative to the construction.
When a hole or other damage is detected during inspection according to known technique, the hole or other damage on the hose should be marked. In the known cases, the operator opens one or more hatches in an encapsulated screen, alternatively removes a smaller screen or uses an opening at the side of such a screen, to get to the pressurized hose so that the damage can be marked.
It is well known that the hose can rift or burst under pressurization, and there is then a big risk that an operator who is controlling the hose's tightness can be seriously injured. The previously known solutions have tried to find solutions to this problem during the visual inspection. However the problem remains and as do the serious risks with the hose bursting during marking of damages on the hose when the operator opens hatches or in another way seek access to the pressurized hose to be able to mark where holes and similar damages are on the hose. In the light of the high pressure that is often used at pressurizing of e.g. a fire hose, there are big risks to open a hatch and insert in an arm at the marking of holes if the hose rifts. Furthermore the operator can also be injured by out leaking jets from the holes that shall be marked (without the hose for that sake has rifted) and the operator can of course also get wet.